ES2568479T3 - Package of smoking articles in the form of a bar and starting piece for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A stick-shaped package of smoking articles, comprising: a box body (8) having an open end, such that said box body (8) includes a round edge (16), which constitutes the minus one of the longitudinal edges extending along a longitudinal direction of said box body (8), and having an arc shape as seen in a cross section of said box body (8), and a box-shaped lid (6), attached to the open end of said box body (8) through a hinge (4), in order to open / close the open end of said box body (8), in the which said round edge (16) has, only on an inner surface of said round edge (16), an ordered set (16a) of notches to provide the arc shape of said round edge (16), characterized in that said ordered set (16a) of notches is formed by a plurality of lines (19) of notches, inclined with r Spectacular to the longitudinal direction of said box body (8) and arranged at intervals according to a width direction of said round edge (16), in such a way that each of the notch lines is formed by a row (19) of notches, and the row (19) of notches includes a plurality of notches (N) arranged at intervals in a row direction of the row (19) of notches.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Package of smoking articles in the form of a bar and starting piece for the same Technical field

The present invention relates to a package of bar-shaped smoking articles, such as cigarettes and filter cigarettes, as well as a starting piece for the package.

Prior art

Such a package is generally referred to as an articulated lid package. The articulated lid package has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes fourth angled edges that extend along its longitudinal direction. Due to the angled edges, the package does not fit well in the hand when the user grabs the package.

To solve this problem, a well-known package has round edges that have been rounded, instead of the angled edges (for example, Patent Document 1 mentioned below). Since the package disclosed in Patent Document 1 has round edges, the package fits comfortably in the hand when the user grabs the package.

In order to produce the round edges, a starting piece for the package disclosed in Patent Document 1 has ordered sets of notch lines (notches) on its inner face. Each of the ordered sets of notches is constituted by a plurality of notch lines. The notch lines extend parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the starting piece.

The ordered sets of notch lines that offer the round edges are not exposed, on the outer surface of the package, so that they do not disfigure the package.

Patent Document 1: Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-524228.

Description of the invention

Problem to be solved by the invention

Since the starting piece is of irregular thickness, one of the notch lines included in the ordered sets of notch lines may be located in a thin region of the starting piece. In such a case, the starting piece has extremely thin regions between the lower parts of one of the notches and its outer surface, and a fragile local portion has been formed in the ordered set of notch lines.

Therefore, when the starting piece is bent, the tensions are concentrated in the fragile portion of the ordered set of notch lines. Due to such a concentration of tensions, the ordered set of notch lines is bent at acute angles due to its fragile portion, and the round edge cannot be clearly formed.

WO 02/49940 refers to a pack of cigarettes having a cross section with an oval profile. A plurality of folding lines have been provided in parallel with a longitudinal axis of the package.

It is a purpose of the invention to provide an improved package of bar-shaped smoking articles having at least one round edge, as well as providing a starting piece for such a package.

Means to solve the problem

In order to carry out this purpose, the package of the invention defined in claim 1 comprises a box body having an open end and a box-shaped lid, attached to the open end of the box body through a joint, in order to open / close the open end. The box body includes a round edge that constitutes at least one of the longitudinal edges that extend along a longitudinal direction of the box body, and which has an arc-like shape, as seen in a cross-section of the body of box. The round edge has an ordered set of notches, which provides the arc shape of the round edge, only on an inner surface thereof. Each of the ordered sets of notches is formed by a plurality of notch lines. The notch lines are inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the box body and are arranged at intervals, in a direction of the width of the round edge.

Since the ordered notch assemblies have formed only on the inner surface of the round edges, the notch lines of the ordered notch sets are not exposed on the outer surface of the round edges. It is then possible to provide soft round edges.

The notch line is constituted by a row of notches. The notch row includes a plurality of notches arranged at intervals in the row direction of the notch row.

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Preferably, the round edge has been formed on each of the four longitudinal edges of the case body. In this case, the two round edges that define the width of the box body are arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis of the box body.

A lid can also have four round edges in correspondence with the round edges of the box body.

Preferably, the case body additionally includes a reinforcement patch disposed on the inner surface of each of the round edges. The reinforcing patches are arranged near the open end of the case body. To be specific, reinforcement patches can be made of glue.

The invention also provides a starting piece for the package, as defined in claim 7. The starting piece includes ordered sets of notches to form round edges. The starting piece will be described precisely below, in the part of Best mode of carrying out the invention.

When the package is manufactured from the starting piece, each of the notch lines of the ordered notch assembly is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the package. For this reason, even if there is the aforementioned thin region of the starting piece, where the round edge is formed, and if the thin region extends according to the longitudinal direction of the package, the notch lines of the ordered notch assemblies simply They pass through the thin region. Consequently, there is a low probability that the notch lines give rise to the fragile portions of the starting piece, such that the bending assembly of the starting piece can be stably materialized.

Technical advantage of the invention

The package of smoking articles in the form of a bar and the starting piece for the package have the round edge whose shape, as an arc, is obtained thanks to the ordered sets of notches formed only on the inner surface of the rounded edge ( inner surface of the starting piece). The orderly set of notches is therefore not exposed on the outer surface of the package. The package therefore has an aesthetic appearance.

Since each of the notch lines of the ordered notch assembly is inclined in relation to the longitudinal direction (longitudinal bending line) of the case body, even if the starting piece is of an irregular thickness, the bending procedure of The starting piece, that is, the manufacture of the package, can be carried out stably.

The size of the round edge is determined by the width of the corresponding ordered notch assembly and by the angles of inclination of the notch lines. This facilitates the creation of round edges with arbitrary sizes.

Reinforcement patches prevent deformation at the open end of the case body, so that the lid can be opened / closed smoothly and reliably.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a package of an embodiment, in a closed position thereof;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the package represented in Figure 1, in an open position thereof;

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a case body shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a view showing an inner surface of a starting piece intended to form the case body and a cover shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a view showing an outer surface of the starting piece shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view showing, on an enlarged scale, a part of an ordered set of notches formed in the starting piece shown in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a sectional view showing a part of the ordered notch assembly shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a sectional view showing a round edge formed of an orderly set of notches by bending the starting piece along the orderly set of notches shown in Figure 6;

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Figure 9 is a view showing an inner surface of a starting part of an example of modification; Y

Figure 10 is a view showing a starting piece intended to form an inner shell of the modification example.

Best way to carry out the invention

Figure 1 shows an articulated lid package of one embodiment.

The package shown in Figure 1 as a whole has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is covered with a transparent wrapping film (not shown). The wrapping film has a tear tape. When the wrapping film is opened along the tear tape, the package is partially exposed, or exposed. The wrapping film has been omitted in Figure 1.

The package includes a box 2. Box 2 has an upper end that is open. This open end is closed with a lid 6. The lid 6 is attached to a rear edge of the open end of the box 2 by means of an integral joint 4. The lid 6 is able to rotate around the integral joint 4 to, with this, open / close the open end of box 2.

More specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the box 2 includes a box body 8, and the box body 8 has an upper end that is cut and opened at a certain angle. The box 2 additionally includes an inner frame 10 having the shape of the letter U. The inner frame 10 partially protrudes from the upper end of the box body 8 and forms an open end 12 of the box 2. The frame interior 10 has an access opening 14 in a front wall thereof. The access opening 14 has a substantially U-shaped shape.

The lid 6 has a box shape and has a lower end that is cut and opened at a certain angle. The lid 6 closes the open end 12 of the box 2 in a position that covers the protruding portion of the inner frame 10. At this instant of time, the lower end of the lid 6 meets the upper end of the box body 8.

The box body 8, of a common type, has four angled edges that extend according to the longitudinal direction thereof. According to the embodiment, however, the box body 8 has round edges 16, instead of angled edges. The round edges 16 each have an arc shape, seen in a cross-section of the box body 8. The lid 6 also has similar round edges 18, corresponding to the round edges 16. When the lid 6 is closed, each of the round edges 16 and the corresponding round edges 18 are aligned with each other, as is evident in Figure 1, whereby a single longitudinal edge of the package is formed.

The inner frame 10 generally includes two angled edges 24.

As shown in Figure 3, an inner IP container ("inner pack") is contained in the box body 2. The inner IP container is surrounded by the inner shell 10. The inner IP container includes a composite beam for twenty cigarettes with filter as bar-shaped smoking articles, as well as an inner wrapper inside which the beam is wrapped.

Features of the package of the invention will be clarified in the following descriptions about a starting piece 28 intended to form the box body 8 and the lid 6. Figures 4 and 5 show the inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of the piece starting 28.

Since the basic shape and the bending procedure of the starting piece 28 are publicly known, the basic shape of the starting piece 28 will be briefly described in the following.

The starting piece 28 is roughly divided into a main section 30 for the shape of the box body 8, and a subsection 32 for the shape of the lid 6. The main section 30 extends in one direction. Subsection 32 is attached to an upper end of the main section 30 by means of integral joint 4, as seen in Figure 4.

The main section 30 includes a rear panel 34, a bottom panel 36 and a front panel 38, in the order mentioned, from the side of subsection 32, or from the side of the integral joint 4. These panels 34, 36 and 38 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the main section 30. Each two adjacent panels are connected to each other through a horizontal bending line that extends through the main section 30. Panels 34, 36 and 38 form the rear, bottom and front walls, respectively, of the box body 8.

Inner side flaps 40 are attached to both sides of the rear panel 34 through longitudinal fold lines extending in the longitudinal direction of the main section 30. The inner side flaps 40 form inner parts of the side walls of the case body 8. External side flaps 42 are connected to both sides of the front panel 38 through longitudinal bending lines. The outer side flaps 42 form outer parts of the side walls. Briefly, the side walls of the body of

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box 8 are formed by superimposing the inner side flaps 40 over the respective outer side flaps 42.

Referring to Figure 4, inner bottom flaps 44 are attached to the lower ends of the inner side flaps 40 through horizontal bending lines. The inner bottom flaps 44 constitute reinforcing members for the bottom panel 36 and form inner parts of the bottom wall of the box body 8.

Subsection 32 includes a rear panel 46, an upper panel 48, a front panel 50 and an inner front panel 52. The panels 46, 48, 50 and 52 are arranged in the order mentioned, starting from the side of the rear panel 34 Each two adjacent panels are connected to each other through a horizontal bending line. The panels 46, 48 and 50 constitute the rear, upper and front walls, respectively, of the cover 6. The inner front panel 52 forms a reinforcing member for the front panel 50, and constitutes an inner part of the front wall of the cover 6.

As shown by Figure 4, the bottom panel 36 and the top panel 48 forming the bottom wall of the box body 8 and the top wall of the lid 6, respectively, have four arc-shaped corners corresponding to round edges 16 and 18.

The inner side overlaps 54 are joined to both sides of the rear panel 46 through longitudinal bending lines. The outer side flaps 56 are connected to both sides of the front panel 50 through longitudinal bending lines. Each of the inner flaps 54 and the corresponding outer side flap 56, which are disposed on the same side of each side as seen from subsection 32, overlap one another to form one of the side walls of the lid 6.

The upper inner flaps 58 are attached to the upper edges of the inner side flaps 54 through horizontal bending lines. The upper flaps on top 58 constitute reinforcing members for the top panel 48, and form inner parts of the side wall of the lid 6.

In general, each of the horizontal bending lines is a linear incision that has been made in the starting piece 28. However, the longitudinal bending lines that form the round edges 16 and l8 not without incisions. The longitudinal bending lines are in the form of a strip that extends in the longitudinal direction of the starting piece 28, and has been practiced as an orderly set of notches with a given width W.

To put it more concretely, the longitudinal fold lines are constituted by ordered sets of notches 16a and 18a. The ordered notch assemblies 16a and 18a have been arranged on an inner surface of the starting piece 28. The ordered notch assemblies 16a and 18a include a large number of rows 19 of notches. The rows 19 of notches extend parallel to each other, such that the rows 19 of notches are inclined at an angle of inclination given to with respect to the longitudinal direction of the starting piece 28. The rows 19 of notches are arranged at regular intervals according to an address of the width of the corresponding set of notches. The number of rows 19 of notches comprised within the width of the ordered set of notches is, for example, approximately five. The angle of inclination a is chosen from a range of 5 to 30 degrees, or, preferably, is in a range of between 10 and 15 degrees.

As shown in Figure 6, on an enlarged scale, each of the rows 19 of notches is formed by a plurality of notches N. More specifically, the notches N are recesses, or wells, in the form of grooves practiced on a surface inside the starting piece 28. The notches N are arranged at regular intervals according to the direction of the width of the corresponding notch wound 19. As is evident in Figure 6, the notches N of every two rows 19 of adjacent notches according to the direction of the width of the ordered set of notches, are arranged alternately as observed in the row direction of the rows 19 of notches .

According to the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the ordered sets of right and left notches, 16a and 18a, which define the width of the box body 8, have been arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis of the body of box 8. Briefly said, the rows 19 of notches of the ordered sets of right and left notches are inclined in opposite directions with respect to each other.

The ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of recesses reduce in practice the thickness of the starting piece 28. As a result, the regions of the starting part 28 in which the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches are located are more flexible than the other regions of the starting piece 28. For this reason, when the round edges 16 and 18 are created by bending the starting piece 28 along the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches, the rows 19 of notches of the ordered assemblies 18a and 18b of notches absorb the difference between the arc length of the outer surfaces of the round edges 16 and 18 and the arc length of the inner surfaces thereof, whereby smooth outer surfaces are formed at the round edges 16 and 18 of the box body 8 and the lid 6.

Even if there is an extremely thin region in the 16th and 18th ordered sets of notches, in

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in terms of the thickness of the starting piece 28, and the thin region extends according to the longitudinal direction of the starting piece 28, the rows 19 of notches do not give rise to the fragile portion in the orderly sets of notches, since the rows 19 of notches are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the starting piece 28.

When the flaps of the starting piece 28 are folded along the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches, the bending work is carried out stably. Accordingly, the ordered sets 16a and 18a of notches securely form the round edges 16 and 18, each of which has a precise arc shape. As is evident in Figure 5, the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches are not exposed on the outer surface of the starting piece 28. The round edges 16 and 18 therefore have smooth outer surfaces, and a Package with excellent appearance.

Since the ordered sets 16a and 18a of notches are flexible, it is not necessary to bend the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of bends in advance. This allows the bending work of the starting piece 28 to be carried out using a conventional wrapping machine, and the package shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be formed without difficulty.

Preferably, each of the ordered notch assemblies 16a of the starting piece 28 has a reinforcing patch 60 as shown in Figure 4, before the bending work of the starting piece 28. Each of the reinforcing patches 60 is disposed in an end portion of the corresponding ordered notch assembly 16a, which is on the side closest to the open end of the case body 8, such that it extends through the ordered notch assembly 16a.

In particular, as shown in Figure 7, the reinforcing patches 60 are made of glue 92, applied to the ordered notch assemblies 16a. The glue 62 that has just been applied has a liquid quality, such that the reinforcing patches 60, or the glue 62, offer no resistance against the bending work of the starting piece 28 in the part bending procedure. starting 28 along the ordered sets 16a of notches. In other words, as shown in Figure 8, when the starting piece 28 bends, the glue 62 enters the recesses N. Subsequently, the reinforcing patches 60 that are obtained once the glue hardens 62 , improve the resistance of the ordered assemblies 16a of notches, or of the round edges 16, in their positions. The open end of the box body 8 then becomes difficult to deform, and the lid 6 can be opened and closed securely and smoothly.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but can be modified in various ways.

Figure 9 shows an inner surface of the starting piece 28 of an example of modification.

The starting piece 28 shown in Figure 9 differs from the starting piece shown in Figure 4 only in the inclination directions of the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches. More specifically, in the case of the starting piece shown in Figure 9, the ordered notch assembly 16a located on the right side of a rear panel 34, and the ordered notch assembly 16a located on the left side are inclined in different directions with respect to each other, similarly to the inclination directions of the corresponding sets of corresponding notches of the starting piece shown in Figure 4.

However, in the case of the starting piece 28 shown in Figure 9, with respect to the ordered sets 16a and 18a of notches aligned with each other, every two adjacent ordered sets according to the longitudinal direction of the starting piece 28 are inclined in opposite directions with respect to each other.

As regards the work of bending the outer and inner side flaps intended to be superimposed on one another to form the side walls of the box body 8 and the lid 6, the free side edges of the folded side flaps are suitable for be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the starting piece 28 with respect to the ordered notch assemblies, due to the inclination directions of the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches. However, the directions of travel of the free side edges are opposite each other between the outer side flaps and the inner side flaps.

When the outer and inner side flaps are superimposed between each other and adhered to each other to form the side walls, the aforementioned displacement is therefore offset between the outer and inner side flaps. Consequently, the ordered assemblies 16a and 18a of notches of the side flaps reliably form the round edges 16 and 18.

Figure 10 shows a piece of paper 64 intended to form an inner frame 10 of the modification example.

The starting piece 64 has two arranged sets 24a of notches similar to the ordered sets 16a of notches. The ordered assemblies 24a of notches form round edges similar to the round edges 16, instead of the angled edges 24.

Referring to Figure 4, the rows 19 of notches of the ordered assemblies of right and left notches, 16a and 18a, are inclined in such a way that extension lines of the rows 19 of notches are cut between each other above the starting piece 28. Alternatively, the rows 19 of notches may be inclined in a direction such that the extension lines thereof are cut between them by 5 below the starting piece 28.

The angled edges of the bottom wall of the box body 8, as well as those of the top wall of the lid 6, can be replaced by round edges similar to the round edges mentioned above.

The notches N (19) shown in Figures 7 and 8 each have an inverted trapezoidal cross-section, but it is not necessary that they have such a cross-sectional shape.

10 It is necessary that the package of the invention has at least one of the round edges 16 or 18. The invention can be applied not only to the articulated cover package, but also to a tongue cover package, as well.

Claims (9)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 Four. Five fifty 1. - A package of smoking articles in the form of a bar, comprising: a box body (8) having an open end, such that said box body (8) includes a round edge (16), which constitutes at least one of the longitudinal edges that extend along a longitudinal direction of said box body (8), and which has an arc shape as seen in a cross section of said box body (8), and a box-shaped lid (6), attached to the open end of said box body (8) through an articulation (4), in order to open / close the open end of said box body (8), wherein said round edge (16) has, only on an inner surface of said round edge (16), an ordered set (16a) of notches to provide the arc shape of said round edge (16), characterized in that said ordered set (16a) of notches is formed by a plurality of notch lines (19), inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of said box body (8) and arranged at intervals according to a direction of the width of said round edge ( 16), such that each of the notch lines is formed by a row (19) of notches, and the row (19) of notches includes a plurality of notches (N) arranged at intervals in a row direction of the row ( 19) notches. 2. - The package of smoking articles in bar form according to claim 1, wherein said round edge (16) has been formed in each of the four longitudinal edges of said box body (8). 3. - The package of smoking articles in the form of a bar according to claim 2, in which two round edges (16) defining the width of said box body (8) are arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal axis of said box body (8). 4. - The package of smoking articles in the form of a bar according to claim 2, wherein said lid (6) has four round edges (18) in correspondence with said round edges (16) of said box body ( 8). 5. - The package of smoking articles in the form of a bar according to claim 2, wherein said box body (8) additionally includes a reinforcing patch (60) disposed on the inner surface of each one of said round edges (16), such that the reinforcing patches (60) are arranged near the open end. 6. - The package of smoking articles in the form of a bar according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing patch (60) is made of glue (62). 7. - A starting piece for the package according to claim 1, comprising a main section (30) extending in one direction and forming said box body (8), and a subsection (32), joined to one of the ends of said main section (30) through an articulation (4) to form said cover (6), such that said main section (30) includes: a rear panel (34), a bottom panel (36) and a front panel (38), aligned in that direction, such that every two adjacent panels between those rear, bottom and front panels (34, 36, 38), are connected to each other through a horizontal bending line, in order to form a rear wall, a bottom wall and a front wall, respectively, of said box body (8); Y inner and outer side flaps (40; 42), joined on both sides of the rear panel (34) and the front panel (38) through longitudinal bending lines, in order to form inner and outer parts of the side walls of said box body (8), in which at least one of the longitudinal bending lines is, only on an inner surface of the starting piece, formed by an ordered set (16a) of strip-shaped notches, in order to provide an arc shape of said round edge (16), characterized in that the ordered set (16a) of notches has a plurality of notch lines (19), inclined in a direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the starting piece and arranged at intervals according to a direction of the width of the ordered set (16a) of notches, such that each of the notch lines is formed by a row (19) of notches, including the row (19) of notches a plurality of notches (N) arranged at intervals in a row direction of the row (19 ) of notches. 8. - The starting piece according to claim 7, in which the longitudinal bending lines are formed, all of them, by the ordered assemblies (16a) of notches. 9. The starting piece according to claim 8, wherein the rows (19) of notches of two ordered assemblies (16a) of notches defining the width of said box body (8), are inclined in directions opposite to each other.